One of the easier trees to identify because of the thin, smooth, pale-gray bark. People often use the bark of this tree to carve their initials on, as it will end up lasting for decades. We advise against this because it can expose the tree to pathogenic fungi or insects.

This tree is more shade-tolerant than many species, so it is fairly common in the understory. These understory trees usually retain a good portion of their leaves through the winter months, making them easy to spot as your are looking through the forest.